Perhaps they'll listen now

Political Compass Test: What Are My Social Values?

Continuing the political compass test, we come to the exploration of my own social values. Feel free to complete the test alongside me and be sure to enter your results into the comments below.

Let’s get into it.

On the topic of abortion, I will go into my opinions soon in a separate piece.

Authority should always be questioned, regardless of the power held and who wields it. The moment we accept blindly authority is the moment we open ourselves up to certain domination. Authority can be easily abused; it would be naive to think otherwise and not question whom you bow to.

There’s an old saying that goes, ‘an eye for an eye will only make the world blind,’ and although I am not against the idea of retaliation, the optimist in me would rather lean towards the side of de-escalation. The threat of an-eye-for-an-eye is certainly useful in global politics, but in our own lives, Mutually Assured Destruction will simply leave a relationship in tatters. The concept implies that if you are attacked, you should copy that action and direct it back at your attacker. In everyday life, this just isn’t a productive way to settle disputes.

The government should be interested in keeping the arts and humanities alive for the good of its citizens’ culture. There are many things that contribute to the survival of a business; being commercially unviable does not mean an institution has no place in society. Despite this, I actually agree with the statement, as it should not be the expectation that taxpayers prop up services they may or may not use.

The freedom to act is as important as the freedom to abstain and withdraw. If you want to work hard in life, you can do that. If you want to sit back and be immobile, you can do that too. However, when it comes to our children, we should be pushing for the former rather than the latter. That begins by making sure they show up to be educated, even if they don’t want to.

This one is strangely worded. It states that all men are equal in rights but should be separated for the good of society. The idea is vividly reminiscent of the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine that allowed for segregation in the United States. Really, it is better for us if all sorts of people are given the freedom to associate with whomever they want.

Hitting your children is one of the worst things you can do as a parent. Speaking from my own experience, the practice breeds far more contempt than it does discipline. Engaging in it doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent, though. Good parents shouldn’t spank their children, but they have in the past and they will in the future.

This is like agreeing to a fact. Of course it’s natural for children to keep secrets from their parents. As human beings, we grow up with an inflating need for privacy. We keep secrets from the people around us, including our parents.

The possession of marijuana should not be a criminal offence. As a drug, weed is nowhere near the things it is considered to be on par with and is far closer to the legal drugs we have. The statement isn’t even arguing for legalisation, so decriminalisation is an obvious one. You can walk around with a bag stuffed full of alcohol and cigarettes but one joint and you’ve done something wrong? OK.

If schooling were to have a single purpose, it would definitely be to equip the future generation to find jobs. All occupations take into account the basic skills learned in school as well as some of the advanced ones. We shouldn’t forget though that education also functions as a way to prime adolescents for the world and instil them with good values.

There is no authority on earth that should be allowed to control whether or not someone gets to reproduce and have children. If a government were appointed to such a task, where would they draw the line on specific disabilities, situations, and people? To remain logically and morally consistent, I must say that a person’s right to reproduce is not the same as a person’s ‘right’ to have an abortion. The latter harms a life that has already developed, while the former creates a life that in the future may experience issues.

Children should learn to accept good discipline. Nowhere near is it the most important lesson for them to learn, though. Isn’t it more important for them to learn how to read, write, count, and be a good person?

This is not an issue of race as many people might assume. Throughout history, there have most definitely been savage people. If ‘savage’ were to merely mean primitive, then wouldn’t it be right to call the lives of early man savage? It wasn’t like being cavemen was a lifestyle, a cultural decision. If ‘savage’ were to mean violent and ruthless, then there are plenty of examples now and in history, from the Nazis to ISIS.

I’m not going to force you to work, and you’re not going to force me to pay for your life, OK? And you definitely shouldn’t expect society’s support if you’re not going to support it yourself, despite being more than able to.

This is far more of a personal question than a political one and because of that, the answer will differ depending on the kind of person you are. I think it’s better to face your troubles rather than hide them under the veneer of ‘more cheerful things.’ However, I also see the merit in not letting your problems stop you from engaging in work and activities, especially if the problem is somewhat minor.

The term, ‘first-generation immigrant,’ actually has two meanings, denoting both immigrants and the children of them who are born in the new country. In both cases, I believe it to be wholly possible for integration to take place. To say they can ‘never be fully integrated’ would be to contradict the stories of millions of families all around the world.

If it weren’t for the word, ‘always,’ I would likely agree with this statement. What’s good for corporations is to make money, and not all companies make their money in a way that benefits society. Usually, though, the successful corporations are the ones who provide vital goods and services to society while maintaining a positive image. What’s good for Google is to make more money so they can further innovate and release products we are willing to pay for.

I think there will always be a place, albeit a small one, for broadcasting institutions paid for by the public. Like the funding of culture through arts and the humanities, I feel the government should also be interested in funding public knowledge through journalism and objective news.